(א) וַתֵּ֣רֶא רָחֵ֗ל כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָֽלְדָה֙ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב וַתְּקַנֵּ֥א רָחֵ֖ל בַּאֲחֹתָ֑הּ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙ הָֽבָה־לִּ֣י בָנִ֔ים וְאִם־אַ֖יִן מֵתָ֥ה אָנֹֽכִי׃ (ב) וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּרָחֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֲתַ֤חַת אֱלֹקִים֙ אָנֹ֔כִי אֲשֶׁר־מָנַ֥ע מִמֵּ֖ךְ פְּרִי־בָֽטֶן׃
שיטת נחמה - 4 קושיות
מה קשה לפרשן?
מדוע פירש כך ולא אחרת?
מהן "מעלות" ו"מגרעות" הפירוש?
מה המסקנה? עד היכן מגיעים הדברים?
Nechama's 4 Questions:
What is difficult for Commentator?
Why did he choose to interpret so and not otherwise?
what are the positive and what are the negative with this
interperetaion?
what is the conclusion? How far do things get?
But I wonder. If so, why was Jacob angry with her? And why did he say, Am I in G-d’s stead? for G-d hearkens to the righteous. [I wonder concerning] that which Jacob said [to Rachel, as quoted in Rashi: “You say that I should do as did my father, who prayed on behalf of Rebekah, but I am not circumstanced as my father was. My] father had no children at all. I, however, have children. It is from you that He had withheld children and not from me.” Do not the righteous pray on behalf of others? There were Elijah and Elisha who prayed on behalf of strange women.
It would appear that on account of Jacob’s answer, our Rabbis took him to task, saying in Bereshith Rabbah: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob, ‘Is this the way to answer a woman who is oppressed by her barrenness? By your life! Your children are destined to stand before her son Joseph!’”
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, Rachel asked of Jacob that he give her children, but her intent was truly to say that he should pray on her behalf and continue indeed to pray until G-d would, in any case, grant her children, and if not, she would mortify herself because of grief. In her envy she spoke improperly, thinking that because Jacob loved her he would fast, put on sackcloth with ashes, and pray until she would have children, so that she should not die of her grief.
(ז) וַיִּחַר אַף יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל (בראשית ל, ב), רַבָּנָן דְּרוֹמָאָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר (איוב טו, ב): הֶחָכָם יַעֲנֶה דַּעַת רוּחַ, זֶה אַבְרָהָם, (בראשית טז, ב): וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם לְקוֹל שָׂרָי. (איוב טו, ב): וִימַלֵּא קָדִים בִּטְנוֹ, זֶה יַעֲקֹב, וַיִּחַר אַף יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל וַיֹּאמֶר וגו', אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כָּךְ עוֹנִים אֶת הַמְּעִיקוֹת, חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁבָּנֶיךָ עֲתִידִים לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי בְּנָה. וַיֹּאמֶר הֲתַחַת אֱלֹקִים אָנֹכִי אֲשֶׁר מָנַע מִמֵּךְ פְּרִי בָטֶן, מִמֵּךְ מָנַע מִמֶּנִּי לֹא מָנַע. אָמְרָה לוֹ כָּךְ עָשָׂה אָבִיךָ לְאִמְּךָ, לֹא חָגַר מָתְנָיו כְּנֶגְדָהּ. אָמַר לָהּ אָבִי לֹא הָיָה לוֹ בָנִים אֲבָל אֲנִי יֵשׁ לִי בָנִים. אָמְרָה לוֹ וּזְקֶינְךָ לֹא הָיָה לוֹ בָנִים, וְחָגַר מָתְנָיו כְּנֶגֶד שָׂרָה. אָמַר לָהּ יְכוֹלָה אַתְּ לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָשְׂתָה זְקֶנְתִּי. אָמְרָה לוֹ מֶה עָשְׂתָה, אָמַר לָהּ הִכְנִיסָה צָרָתָהּ לְתוֹךְ בֵּיתָהּ. אָמְרָה לוֹ אִם הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה מְעַכֵּב (בראשית ל, ג): הִנֵּה אֲמָתִי בִלְהָה בֹּא אֵלֶיהָ וְאִבָּנֶה גַּם אָנֹכִי, מַה זּוֹ נִבְנֵית עַל יְדֵי צָרָתָהּ אַף זוֹ נִבְנֵית עַל יְדֵי צָרָתָהּ. (בראשית ל, ו): וַתֹּאמֶר רָחֵל דָּנַנִּי אֱלֹקִים, דָּנַנִּי וְחִיְּבַנִי דָּנַנִּי וְזִכַּנִּי. דָּנַנִּי וְחִיְּבַנִּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כט, לא): וְרָחֵל עֲקָרָה. דָּנַנִּי וְזִכַּנִּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ל, ו): וַיִּתֶּן לִי בֵּן. (בראשית ל, ו): עַל כֵּן קָרְאָה שְׁמוֹ דָּן, בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עַל כֵּן מְרֻבֶּה בְּאֻכְלוּסִין.
(1) הבה לי בנים, “get me children!” Rachel demanded that Yaakov pray on her behalf, failing which she would die She considered any woman who had no children as “dead.” Nachmanides expresses his amazement at such an interpretation as he cannot understand why this was something that would infuriate Yaakov, as the Torah reports in the next verse when he upbraids her by asking if he was in place of the G’d Who had denied her children. One even prays on behalf of people to whom one is not married, so why should he feel offended by her demand that he pray on behalf of his wife? As to the comment by the Midrash that Yaakov rejected the comparison with Yitzchok praying for Rivkah to have children as inappropriate, seeing that Yitzchok at the time did not have children, whereas he, Yaakov did have already four children, surely that is not a reason why he should not pray on behalf of his favorite wife!? According to the plain meaning of the text, Rachel demanded children from her husband. She threatened that if he refused to pray on her behalf she would kill herself. She would not lay a hand on herself, but she explained that she would simply die from frustration and shame, and would blame her death on her husband. Yaakov’s anger was aroused because she so misunderstood the power of prayer that she felt that the prayer of a צדיק automatically commits G’d to fulfill it. Yaakov thought that Rachel used the threat of her death as a ploy, something not unknown when women are denied having their way. At any rate, after telling Rachel that the matter was not really in his hands, seeing that G’d had granted him children but not from her, she decided to pray on her own behalf. This is what the Torah means in verse 22 that G’d “listened to her,” as a result of which she bore Joseph.
א"ר יצחק מפני מה היו אבותינו עקורים מפני שהקב"ה מתאוה לתפלתן של צדיקים
Rabbi Yitzḥak said: For what reason were our forefathers initially infertile? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires the prayers of the righteous, and He therefore wanted them to pray for children.